Karate, Boy Scouts, and Soccer, Oh My!
We are so busy with different things right now that I’m not keeping up too well with blogs and other “extra-curricular” activities. But we are all happy and having fun, so I guess it’s a good trade-off.
Karate. Last Friday night, the children and I passed our karate rank tests, and advanced from white belt (newbie) to yellow belt (beginner). I am very proud of my boys. Not only did they learn all of the physical requirements (four kicks, four stances, and the 17-move Pasaryu Don Jahk form), but they learned both memory passages — a total of 5 verses — as well.
Now we have until the December rank tests to learn our new form (21 moves, Pyungahn Cho Dan), four blocks, two punches, five self-defense sequences, and three more memory verses). With me taking two classes a week and each of the boys taking one, I think we will be ready. (Older son’s Scout meetings are at the same time as the first class, and younger son’s soccer practise is at the same time as the second class, so each of them gets one karate night with me and one scouts/sports night with their father each week.
It will be interesting to see if the X comes back to class after soccer season ends. If so, he will probably take the white-to-yellow test in December. I don’t particularly like being in class with him, but I can’t really stop him, and if I pass the rank test in December, I will move to the advanced classes and be able to train without him around for at least a few months. As long as I stay ahead of him in rank, I think I can minimize our contact in class. If not, well, now I can take him out if he behaves inappropriately. 
Boy Scouts. Older son is becoming a Boy Scout. He’s been attending meetings since July, and had his scoutmaster conference last week. Tonight is Family Night, and he will be officially “inducted” into the scouting program. He’s really enjoying it and is very excited about the camping trips and other projects they’re doing.
Soccer. Younger son is playing soccer and having fun, though I don’t think his team has won a game yet. Saturday’s game was tough for him because his best friend was on the opposing team. LOL! The life lessons you learn.
Oh, my! I’d like to get back into either singing choir or handbell choir, but I’m afraid of stretching myself too thin again. I still have work, home, home-schooling, and editing/graphic design responsibilities to handle. So music and church activities are on the back burner, for now.
Church just takes too much out of me. Even though we go to a very small church, the crowds are too big for me to handle. Since the wreck, large groups of people give me panic attacks. It’s like my brain cannot process everything that goes on in a large group, so it just shuts down. It’s very scary.
And I still have bad migraines a lot — oddly enough, they are usually on the weekend now. My doctor says it’s because the body drives itself all week and then “collapses” on the weekend. He says it should clear up eventually. For now, I’m not pushing myself on the weekends. I’m resting. Which is, I suppose, the whole point of “Sabbath” anyway.